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Sunday, 6 May 2018

REVIEW: HOTEL ISTANA, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Malaysia has been on my travel wish-list ever since I watched ‘Malaysia-Truly Asia’- tourism promotional ad on TV. The wish became reality when my husband asked me to accompany him on his official trip to Malaysia for two weeks. Amongst the top hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Hotel Istana seemed perfect for our long stay. This hotel is considered as one of the luxurious 5-star international hotels and is nestled in the heart of the capital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Read on to know more about Hotel Istana and my staying experience!

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

About Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur City Centre:

The 5 Star 23-Storey Hotel Istana City Centre Kuala Lumpur is centrally located at Jalan Raja Chulan in Kuala Lumpur’s prestigious Golden Triangle. Renowned shopping malls such as Pavilion, Lot 10, Starhill, Suria KLCC, and Changkat Bukit Bintang entertainment hub are at its doorstep. Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) and Petronas Towers are 10-minutes walk away via the Skybridge, while the KL International Airport is an hour’s drive away. The hotel has an efficient road and rail transport, and limousine service. (Source official page).

For more info, please visit their official site- https://www.hotelistana.com.my/en

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Review

How to get there:

It takes around 52 -60 minutes via taxi from Kuala Lumpur Airport to Hotel Istana, depending on traffic. There is a taxi counter at the arrival hall in the airport. We booked a taxi from there and reached our destination safely within an hour.

Hotel Istana Entrance, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hotel Istana –My thought:

When we reached the hotel it was already 3am, yet we received a warm welcome upon arrival by the on-duty front-desk associates. After completing all the formalities, as soon as I entered our dedicated guest room, I felt like being at HOME! Credit goes to the design of the room and its vibes, of course.

Deluxe Guestroom!

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Review

Hotel Istana Deluxe Guestroom/ Shower Room

The deluxe room has one giant bedroom with attached restroom. The room is spacious, carpet flooring, comfortable and is well equipped with all basic & luxury amenities which we normally find in a 5-star hotel room. If you wish to see the iconic Petronas Tower from your room instead of simple city view, you have to pre-book your rooms accordingly. Club Room and Deluxe suites have extra added facilities at Istana.

City View

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Review

We stayed at this hotel for a period of two weeks and every day, the polite and sincere housekeepers would come and change the bed sheets, clean the room, refill the toiletries, keep the new water bottles and newspapers. As I mentioned above that we reached Hotel Istana at midnight so next day morning hubby went to his office and I got that opportunity to explore the building properly.

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Review

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Review

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Review

To be frank, I was floored by the grandeur of this giant hotel. Drawing inspiration from the traditional Malaysian palaces, this hotel was designed hence the name Istana (means Palace in Malaysian language). From exterior to interior decor, everything is elegant, impressive and admirable. The aesthetically pleasing architecture is a perfect fusion of traditional features and modern amenities - sophistication at its finest!

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Review

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Review

Beside the main entrance, there is a small sitting area with a mini water pool at one corner. The place makes for a perfect spot for photography as well as great for chilling out with your partner or friends.

Swimming Pool Area

We couldn’t hit the in-house gym/spa/swimming pool so I cannot comment on that part. However, I have seen women, kids and men were enjoying their pool time. Apart from these, other facilities include grand Mahkota Ballroom, Sauna, executive meeting rooms, Steambath and massage service.

Restaurants & Bars, Food Quality:

The ‘Tamansari Brassiere’ is their in-house restaurant and ‘Songket’ is the lounge bar located right on the lobby area. ‘Urban’ is also their in-house European cuisine restaurant with the Asian influence, ‘Sports Bar’ serves cocktails & light refreshments, ‘The Sweet Corner’ offers freshly baked gourmet chocolates, cakes and pastries; all are located on Lobby level.

Taman Sari Brassiere, Entrance

Songket Lounge

Live Performance at Songket Lounge

At Songket, you can enjoy your drink while watching the live performance by the music bands. I totally loved the ambience.

Juice Bar Beside Taman Sari Brassiere

The Juice Bar is located at the entrance (right-hand side) of Taman Sari. We couldn’t visit URBAN & SPORTS BAR, hence I am not going to write their in-depth details here.

Central Garden!

Taman Sari Brassiere

Taman Sari Brassiere overlooking the poolside garden area is spacious, well illuminated and clean. You can have your breakfast or lunch, sitting outside in the garden too! The restaurant manager or wait staff will assist you in choosing your preferred seat.

Food, Food, Food!!

Taman Sari restaurant offers a vast array of food options from simple cereals, bread, and fruit-juices to various Western, Indian and Malaysian cuisines. The dessert section has a plethora of choices!

Dessert Spread!!

Breakfast Buffet!

The complimentary breakfast buffet was great and satisfying as well. However, you may feel the food menus are repetitive especially if you stay for a long duration at this hotel.

Tiffin Set Menu!

I had had my lunch every day in my room and must say, their in-room food service is great. Most of the time, I ordered Tiffin sets from their A La Carte menu. We also tried Mahalo Pizza, Chicken Dum Biryani and Vegetable Dhal on the other days.

Taman Sari A La Carte Menu

The staff would bring the food wrapped with a food wrap and covered with an extra plate so that the food would remain hot & perfect till it reaches my room!

Being a non-spicy food lover, I absolutely relished my lunch because the foods were mild, non-spicy and homely. I found the taste to be delightful. Since maximum items were non-oily and mild, your kids can enjoy these as well.

Dinner Buffet!

During our stay, Taman Sari had some offers on their dinner buffet, especially for the hotel guests. So maximum days we had had our dinner at this place only, except a few days when we explored local restaurants for a change.

So here comes the most important question,

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT HOTEL ISTANA?

Apart from the above-mentioned points -

👍LOCATION, dear location!! Hotel Istana is situated at the most convenient location which is just a few steps away from the main tourist spots, monorail station and shopping centres. KLCC Suriya mall, Petronas Tower, KL Aquaria or KL Tower, you can reach all these places by walking easily within 15-20 minutes.

👍FOOD OPTIONS!! Yes, be it amazing pub and bars or fine dining restaurants, the majority of them are situated close to Istana. We went to nearby local restaurants for our dinner a couple of times and totally loved the food. Quality and service both were amazing and best part, pocket-friendly!

👍TOP-NOTCH SERVICE!! Istana’s hospitality left us amused. The hotel staff are so polite, humble, skilled and efficient in their job. The hotel provides quick yet high-quality service to its guests. Every day hotel customer care officials would call and ask if we needed any support or assistance. We faced no issues during our staycation at this hotel, their sincerity is highly appreciated.

Maximum hotel personnel are from Bangladesh. Being a Bengali, that too a BANGAL (parents were born in Bangladesh), as well as, I speak SYLHETI (a Bengali dialect) which is my regional language, you can imagine how GREAT was the experience. I got Royal treatment, he he 😃 (No, I revealed my identity to them just a few days before leaving KL)!! Even, in outside restaurants too, we met Bangladeshi cooks and hotel staff, it feels amazing to see known faces.

Hotel Istana Toiletries

👍LUXURIOUS TOILETRIES!! Being a light traveller, I prefer taking minimum stuff with me while travelling and rely on hotel toiletries especially bath & body products. Unlike, other hotels, Istana has its own beauty products line. There were a shampoo cum conditioner, shower gel and moisturizer besides toothpaste, comb, toothbrush etc. I loved using both shower gel and the moisturizer but didn’t like that shampoo. It dried out my hair and made it frizzy instead of conditioning.

👍ENTERTAINMENT!! There are a plenty of entertainment options for guests in Hotel Istana. Even though we couldn’t make it to the gym or other recreational activities, I absolutely loved having my relaxing breakfast at the poolside central garden.

SO IS THERE ANYTHING I DISLIKED?

Yes! Hotel Istana is renowned for its first-class International Buffet Spread and I must admit that it’s true to a great extent. I don’t know how hotel industry works or if that happens everywhere. What I know, if I am paying a hefty amount of price for that hotel service, I expect the quality. Well, when it comes to food, I do have a sensitive nose (Read HUGE). I love to eat fresh foods, even if I am ill or sick, I would cook fresh meal E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y!! Since we had tried Breakfast and dinner buffet at Taman Sari continuously for a good number of days, one bad thing I noticed regarding their Buffet food. A couple of times, I had found their dinner and breakfast menus are to be same, especially Indian curries like mixed veg or aloo gobi. The foods tasted fresh at night but next day morning, I could see the same food and sense that odd smell (which often releases when you try to warm your day-before leftover food)! Husband had no issues with it but I do have!!

I have never stayed this long at any hotel (be it 5-star or 3-stars) or neither had had dinner and breakfast at the same place continuously. This is why, this particular thing came to my notice; otherwise, I wouldn’t have realized that.

NBAM Rating: 4.9/5

Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Overall, I would say, Hotel Istana is the most affordable yet luxurious international 5-star hotel at the central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I still cherish those moments that I spent at Istana and would love to stay over there again. If you are looking for a budget-friendly yet luxurious place of stay at Kuala Lumpur, Hotel Istana would be the Perfect choice for you!

(Images : NBAM photography, Mobile Photography, Canon Photography)

Have You Ever Stayed At Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? If Yes, Then Please Do Share Your Experience With Us In The Comment Section Below.

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About Author

Hi everyone, this is Anamika A Chattopadhyaya - blogger, travel freak and a makeup enthusiast :) I am passionate about Travelling, Photography, Skincare & Fashion. This blog is all about Beauty, Travel and Lifestyle. To know more about me, NBAM and latest posts, keep visiting this page!! Thanks for stopping by :)